Climate Resilience

Climate change is an urgent issue we face together. On this page, learn how we are addressing climate change and find resources for emergency managers.

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FEMA and the Changing Climate

Understand FEMA’s role in and resources for addressing climate change, along with tools to help you know your climate risk.

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Initiatives

The White House Office of Science, Technology and Policy (OSTP), NOAA, and FEMA were tasked under EO 14008 to outline the ways the federal government will improve access to climate tools and services. FEMA in partnership with OSTP and NOAA worked on Opportunities for Expanding and Improving Climate Information and Services for the Public (globalchange.gov) report that focuses on holistically expanding and improving climate information and services for the public.

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From April to July 2021, FEMA sought public comment on how the agency's programs deal with climate change and underserved communities and populations.

The period for comment closed on July 21 and the agency is currently processing the input received.

The results of this request for information (RFI) will inform the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan and will help us better support communities and underserved populations when it comes to resiliency and climate change.

Press Releases

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in America and climate resilience, FEMA announced today that it will make grant funds available to communities for low-carbon materials used in disaster recovery and climate resilience projects. States, tribes, territories and local communities will now have more access to cleaner building materials through eligible FEMA programs to rebuild from disasters or become more resilient to climate change.
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FEMA released an updated and consolidated guidance to help grant applicants successfully navigate our mitigation grant programs to enhance climate resiliency.
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According to the Puerto Rico Planning Board, floods on the island represent billions in losses and put at risk some 200,000 residences located in flood-prone areas. To reduce the effects of these natural events, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is working on 35 projects with an investment of $122 million.
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Last week, FEMA joined the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Black Resilience Network, and others to discuss efforts to reinforce climate resilience.
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The Biden-Harris administration’s Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission released a report yesterday, outlining a strategy to meet aerial firefighting equipment needs through 2030. As climate change fuels longer and more intense wildfire seasons, aerial assets bring unique response capabilities to wildland fire suppression. The report reexamines existing approaches to aviation fleet procurement, mobilization, composition and quantity to set aviation management on a new trajectory for the next decade and beyond.
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In the face of growing global threats such as climate change and extreme weather events, FEMA increased and elevated its strategic international partnerships in 2022. This unprecedented level of international engagement both advances the agency’s role as a global leader in emergency management, while enhancing global safety, security and stability, which ultimately keeps people safe here in the United States and abroad.
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FEMA released the 2022 National Preparedness Report today, revealing the impacts that climate change and associated natural disasters continue to have on emergency management capabilities and communities across the country.
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On Dec. 20, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, joined FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell at the agency’s headquarters to announce funding for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund grant program.
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The Biden-Harris administration today announced the launch of a new Voluntary Community-Driven Relocation program, led by the Department of the Interior, to assist Tribal communities severely impacted by climate-related environmental threats.
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FEMA, MDEM and Baltimore host Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities News Conference at MedStar Health on August 22, 2022 at 8:30am
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Emergency Management in a Changing Climate

The challenges posed by climate change, such as more intense storms, frequent heavy precipitation, heat waves, drought, extreme flooding and higher sea levels could significantly alter the types and magnitudes of hazards faced by communities and the emergency management professionals serving them. Emergency managers should adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Strategy and Policy

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